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Van Halen - Live Without a Net Actor: Van Halen Number of Items: 1 Audience Rating: Unrated Studio: Warner Strat. Mkt. Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2004-09-14 Buy from Amazon

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.0 "Good DVD, Great Performance" First off I have to admit being partial towards this period of the group since this was the first tour of theirs I got to see. Having grown up, prior to this tour, on the DLR era of the band and then having him leave the group or get fired or whatever, I didn't think I would ever get the chance to see Eddie play live. Needless to say VH could have fallen flat on their face with a new singer but of course we know that wasn't the case. I won't get into the singer debate since it's not relevant at this point. I purchased this when it first came out on VHS so many years ago and played it till it wore out. So I was pretty happy to see it finally make it to dvd. First off, some of the comments already made are true, the disc itself is pretty bare bones. The menus are nothing special. There are no extras at all. Basically this is a meat and potatoes disc. Just the show and that's all folks. As for the video transfer, I have to agree its nothing to write home about. To my recollection, as has been noted before, this seems to be a prety straight transfer from whatever video source still exists from the original production. I agree maybe some cleaning up could have been done as I noted a few seconds of some sort of digital distortion in the final song, Rock N' Roll, but nothing too distracting. But all in all I recall the original video picture not being spectacular anyway so there is only so much you can do to bad video until you start messing with the original intent. On the other hand the sound quality I found a vast improvement over the hissy limitations of the orignial tape. The standard PCM audio is an improvement on just removing the hiss of tape! The real score is in the Dolby Digital audio which is great, but for me the surprise was finding the far superior DTS audio track as well! With improved separation and finally actually hearing bass, this was worth the price alone. Although the boys may have skimped on other dvd features we tend to take for granted nowadays its nice to see they still care about the sound! On the basis of the disc's features or lack therof, I would give it a 2 but the preformance well I have to give it the extra 2 stars for that. One might have to say Eddie and the band were in their prime in the Eighties and this show is a great snapshot of it. Having something to prove , or not, with new singer Sammy the band is in high gear throughout. Yes, you ony get 2 DLR songs but 5150 stands as a great rock album and you hear prcatically all of it here. Sure bass solos and drum solos are included which may get weary after viewing once or twice but if you love guitar at all you will be pressing repeat on Eddie's tour de force many many MANY times. Its a textbook guitar soloing 101 clinic for anything you heard in the 80s right from the master. I know I am biased from my favorable memories of that tour but having seen them on their reunion tour this month, and still kicking butt mind you, its not the same as before. This dvd is a great document of the band at a high point in their career still exhuberant and exploring the limits of their new collaboration. This dvd is really for the fans and if new people want to check them out I would really pay no more then $10-13 for it since it is a straight ahead simple no frills disc, but you would get your money's worth for sure. "Looks like VH was fun back then!!" I've been a VH fan since 1979. The sheer energy they put form both live and on their studio works was second to none. Edward was the master guitarist of the up and comers and this DVD proves what he could do when he's not tanked!!. The band is having a great time and the tunes rock. If you liked the DLR years (and I do) but have a hate on for the post DLR years, you're missing a very good live DVD. Sammy was fronting the band at this point and time and he was a very good choice. Sure the band dynamic changed with him in and Dave out, but life goes on. VH in 1986 was a great live band with or without Dave and this DVD proves it. Sound is good as is the quality for the most part. If you like VH and you enjoy watching a band have fun live this DVD is for you. "They were having a ball, and it shows." I love this concert, all of it. The guys performance is gorgeous, sound quality is pristine, both Dolby Digital and DTS tracks are state of the art, separation is perfect, very envolving and bass has a lot of punch, but never sounds boomy. Video quality may not be something to cry for, but this is a film to video transfer (film stems tranfered to video for editing) from 1986, and I'm happy enough with it. Not only recommended for die hard fans. Sound quality is very good for demo purposes. "Not much different from the VHS release in 1986" This DVD features the complete New Haven concert from the tour to support the bands first album with Sammy Hagar. Live Without a Net takes you back in time to 1986 when the second incarnation of Van Halen was still green; A time when the band was full of energy, fun and love for one another. A time when the music was the most important thing for all of them. Indeed, this is a different band than what we see five years later on the Van Halen Live: Right Here, Right Now DVD from 1991. Here we see Sammy Hagar even picking up lead guitar duty on the keyboard ballads Love Walks In and Why Can't This Be Love. In addition to that two Hagar solo tracks: There's Only One Way To Rock and I Can't Drive 55 are incorporated into the bands set as if they were Van Halen songs. In the not too distant future egos would inflate and each band member would exist as a island on stage, but for the time being it's 1986 and this is Van Halen in their prime. Only three stars because there's nothing special here. No special features and the new DTS and DD 5.1 audio mixes could have been better. "VHS , Look and listen again " I have the Laserdisc of this and the DVD in DTS blows it away , The picture is cleaner then the LD also..... The VHS is a complete piece of JUNK . And for $11 new it is up worth 5 stars . Who cares about extras it's finally out on dvd !!!